Dance in the Rain
by Miss Prickles
Summary: While figuring out how to eliminate the cyborgs, Skull comes across a classified project that could possibly mean the end of his problems. It all starts with the kidnapping of a young girl on a cold winter night....
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I was going over the fanfics I've written in the last two or three years and I noticed my first fanfic "A Cousin Within My Heart" I could still remember sitting down on the computer, typing away endlessly as the story unfolded in my mind and I tried to capture as much of it as possible and put it into words, pushing the limit of my not-so-bright eleven year old mind to its limits.

At first I was proud of my work and I went on to write three sequels, but now that I'm older (and a little wiser) I've taken another look at "A Cousin Within My Heart" and I have to admit, I hated it. I wanted to delete the story but then opted to replace it at the last minute.

So here is my first story, rewritten under a whole new plotline and a whole new title. The first chapter will be written in the first person's view of my OC Lisa Mooncrest but she is completely different from the way I had portrayed her when I published my fanfic the first time.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_It's raining again today._

_Something in my thoughts told me that it was, even though all I could see were four solid walls of concrete and a gray metal door with a closed window that slid open from time to time, revealing eyes that would gaze upon me for a second or two before disappearing and the window would be closed again._

_Wouldn't it be nice to see rain, to feel rain, to hear its melody out in the open…._

_This whole fascination began when Doc brought a book for me filled with pictures. One of them was a gray cloud and white lines falling down from it. Next to the picture was the word "rain." My mind repeated the word over and over again. Rain… what a nice word._

_Doc saw my fascination with rain and explained what it was. At first it didn't make any sense- how could the sky cry? The sky was not human; therefore it could not shed tears. Doc laughed when I told him that he did not make any sense. He told me I wouldn't be able to understand if he explained it in the words that he and his "people" used._

_I asked him if he had ever seen rain. He told me he had seen it a lot of times and that not many people liked the rain because it meant that they could not go out of their houses and go places and that in some areas, people get flooded and they have to be rescued. Doc was using big words on me agaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnn. It's not fair. Why can't I understand big words like him?_

_When I told Doc what I was feeling and thinking, he laughed. Then he said that it was good I was talking about what I felt and thought and that maybe one day he can explain the rain to me when I can understand more big words. Then he had to go because he had to check on them crazy people. I asked him if I was crazy._

_"I don't think so. But for some reason, you're not normal," he replied before the door was shut and it reared its ugly black metal face to me once again. Normal? What is normal? It sounded like one of Doc's big words. I should ask him what it means one day._

_While Doc checks on them crazy people, I try to imagine what rain smells, feels, and looks like. I couldn't look at the picture again because Doc had to take it so that I won't end up hurting myself again like last time. It wasn't fair. I wanted to see the rain again!_

_So now I'm just sitting on the noisy bed in my room, hugging my bestest friends: my knees. They always make me feel better when I feel sad and lonely, which was a lot of times. I have my head on them, staring at nothing, my mind thinking about rain. Doc must be very lucky to have seen rain while I am stuck here trying to imagine what it is like to be in the rain._

_I want to run and run and run around until I fall down on the ground and watch the rain fall. Ooohh…. it would be better if it was raining during the night and there were all these pretty lights up in the sky. While I imagined the kind of night I wanted to see, I heard loud noises outside._

_It wasn't really loud but I heard it. It sounded like BANG! BANG! BANG! And then there was someone who yelled, "no! Please don't kill me!"_

_Then it was followed by another BANG!_

_I wonder what's going on outside. Definitely didn't sound like it was a good thing. I wonder if Doc would come and tell me what happened._

_Then I heard footsteps coming and then the door was open and it made contact with the wall, making a loud sound that hurt my ears. There were these two guys who were all black and their faces were covered._

_"Is this her?" The voice was a guy's, kind of like Doc's but not Doc himself._

_"Yeah. Let's get the girl and leave," said the other one._

_The guy who talked first came forward and took my hand and it was really painful. I ended up going a little wobbly on my two feet but I managed to stand up okay and walked along. The other guy followed from behind._

_I looked around the hallway as soon as I left my room. There was this red liquid on the walls and on the floor and it looked like it came from some of the people who were just like Doc. They were sitting against the wall or lying down on the floor and they weren't moving. Shame. They were supposed to be working like Doc! What were they doing just sitting against the wall or lying on the ground?_

_I reached out to poke one of them but the guy in black pulled my arm and I didn't get to touch the guy. Phooey._

_"Hey! That hurt!" I yelled loudly._

_"Why are you touching the dead?" he replied. Dead?_

_"Are you like Doc? Because you're using a big word on meeeeeeeeeee!!!!!" I wailed as we got to a door that had the same color as the red stuff coming out of the sleepy people. The guy who was hurting me opened it and there was white stuff all over the ground. I found myself shaking. It was cold!_

_"I can't wait to get rid of this one. She's more of a pain in the ass than the previous ones we went after already," the guy said and he walked right outside. I only had the clothes that were given to me the first day I arrived at Doc's workplace and it didn't make the cold go away. I couldn't wail at him again for using big words. I wanted to be back in my room! At least I wasn't cold in there!_

_He went to a black car and stopped walking. He took out something shiny and he put it into this small round shiny thing on the car and then he pulled something. A door was opened and I was pushed inside. Then the door was closed and then two more were opened in the front and then the two guys in black came in. One of them sat on the left and the other sat on the right._

_"Where's Doc? What happened to him?" I asked while curling up into a ball to keep myself warm._

_"Doc? He's dead. Just like everyone else in that hallway," answered the guy on the right._

_"There you go again! Why are you using big words like Doc? And how come you're not wearing white like Doc? And why are you taking me out of my room? I'm not supposed to be outside my room!" I complained._

_"Well, we're like your friend Doc, only more special. And he told us that we have to bring you somewhere else so that you'll feel better," said the guy on the left._

_"You're lying!" I protested. And then it hit me. "Ooooooooh! You'll be in big trouble when Doc finds out you took me out of my room! Even he can't bring me out of my room," I added._

_"Well, you don't see anyone complaining, kiddo. So do us a favor and keep quiet until we get back to the base," the guy on the right replied as the car started moving. Then the car got warm and nice and I wasn't cold anymore._

_"Base? That's another big word, isn't it? And how are you more special than Doc? Do you have cookies or books like Doc? Better yet, do you have raaaaaaaaaaaaiiin with you?" I asked. This time, no one answered. It felt weird that I didn't get an answer. Usually when I talk with Doc he always listens and he talks back._

_Maybe they were just like those people who were being lazy in the hallway. They don't talk a lot but they just tell me some big words and then they don't say anything anymore. So I decided to hug my knees again and just imagine myself in the rain and the pretty sky with all the lights. After a while they hurt so I decided to move around and I saw that I could put my legs out so I did and then I felt sleepy so I slept._

_When I woke up I was on a really nice chair and there was this small window next to me and it was closed. In front of me was one of the guys. I don't know if he's the one who held my hand and made it hurt or the guy who was walking behind because they looked the same to me._

_Next to him was the other guy. "Go back to sleep," he said._

_"Why?"_

_"Because we don't have to deal with your constant babbling. Now go to sleep."_

_"But I'm not sleepy! And I'm hungry!" I replied. The guy made a sound that was like the one that Doc made when he sounded tired and he explained to me some big words he used when I first came to the hospital. That was the first big word I learned when I asked Doc where I was._

_The guy in black then walked up to me with a white cloth in his hand and put it over my nose and mouth. I couldn't breathe and I waved my arms and kicked and tried to scream until I felt sleepy again and then it was back to sleeping._

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The first chapter may come off a little confusing and I'm going to provide a little bit of background information as to somehow explain what's going on without giving away too much.

In this fanfic, Lisa Mooncrest is a supposedly "insane" eighteen year old girl and for this chapter I tried to mix in some insanity into her personality along with a slight dose of immaturity. It's a total jump from the way I had portrayed her as a Mary Sue when my first story was published.

She's obviously narrating her abduction from the hospital by two of Black Ghost's "recruiters" (for lack of a better word…. I would use henchmen but I think it doesn't really describe what they are since henchmen are just pawns and expendable people whereas recruiters seem to play an important role in the Black Ghost organization) but she doesn't understand the fact that she is being abducted.

Lisa questions almost everything she doesn't know due to her curiosity and she often thinks and talks like a four year old. She is supposedly "insane" (although she doesn't seem to know it or she seems to reject that idea) which is the reason why she's in the mental institution and she had attempted suicide prior to being checked into the hospital, which may also account for her presence there (Doc didn't want to leave her alone with the books for fear she might cut herself with them).

Her thoughts are mixed: sometimes they're ramblings, sometimes they're expressing her curiosity and her feelings of sadness and loneliness, and sometimes she just thinks based on what she had been taught by Doc.

Hopefully I'll be able to update really soon and give you more of a heads-up as to what will happen in the near future. Check my profile/bio for any possible updates since I can't just load up author's notes and pose it as a chapter.

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


	2. Contact

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the very long update. I've been busy with schoolwork as I am now in a rigorous academic program and haven't found the time to work on this fanfic until now.

Chapter 1 has been officially revamped, as you will see. I don't want to spoil anything so you'll have to read along to find out what happens.

Disclaimer: Cyborg 009 is the creation of Shotaro Ishinomori. Lisa Mooncrest and other non-canon characters are mine unless otherwise stated.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_Five years after the massacre at Archibald Psychiatric Center…_

With Black Ghost activity gone, the 00-cyborgs decided to part ways, though they remained in contact with each other and Dr. Gilmore and 001 should the organization surface again. Each cyborg had to adjust to the fact that they were no longer living with the rest of the team and had to start their lives from scratch.

Dr. Gilmore and 001 remained with Professor Koizumi in Japan, having no other place to stay and no immediate family members to turn to. Under the supervision of the two men, 001 learned to control his psychokinetic powers and was now able read minds without giving his presence away and read thoughts without having to be physically near people, teleport slightly heavy objects, create a force field, and deform objects.

While Dr. Gilmore and Professor Koizumi played a game of Go on the front porch of the house, 001 decided to scan for Black Ghost activity throughout the world.

_Hello?_

The unfamiliar voice startled the young infant. _Who is this?_

_Waaaaait… someone can hear me? Wow! This is so… COOL. Cool! Coooooool! Cool cool cool cool cool…_

001 was startled. _Who am I talking to? _

_Oh, I'm sorry. I should introduce myself. My name is Lisa Mooncrest. Who am I speaking to?_

The cyborg gave his name hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he had done the right thing, but he needed to get this person to talk to find out who she was.

_Hello, Ivan. I'm very glad to meet you. You're the very first person I've communicated with through telepathy. Hee! That's so cool! I can finally talk to someone else other than the guards!_

_Guards? What guards? _001 asked suspiciously.

_Oops. I meant guards of the Black Ghost organization. They're not very talkative to me and all they do is just march and bring me to the lab and then bring me back to my room and they just stand there saying nothing. _

001's first instinct was to alert Dr. Gilmore and the other cyborgs that Black Ghost had captured a civilian, but he needed to make sure that it wasn't a trap set up by the organization to bring them to one location for capture and possible obliteration.

_Lisa? Are you still there? _

_I'm riiiiiiiiiiiiiight heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere! I won't be going anywhere for a while, so don't worry. It takes a long time before I go to the lab again and those crazy people do these "tests" on me to see that I was okay. I keep telling them that I am but they don't seem to hear me and keep doing all these crazy tests and stuff. I wonder if they're deeeeeeeaaaaaaaf…_

_Can you tell me where you're being kept prisoner? _001 asked while trying to pinpoint Lisa's location. But he could not sense her presence anywhere in the world, though he can still feel her presence psychically.

_Prisoner? What's that? That sounds like a big word that Doc uses. Waaaaaaiiiiit. Do you know Doc? Can I talk to him? There's a bunch of stuff I wanna tell him, especially about those lazy people back at the hospital!_

001 was becoming confused with Lisa's manner of speech. Did Black Ghost capture a young civilian?

_Lisa, how old are you?  
_

_The lab people tell me I'm eighteen. Why? Is it my birthday already? Am I going to finally get caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake? _

The infant cyborg decided it was best to contact the other cyborgs and devise a plan when the team had regrouped while maintaining contact with Lisa. He had to find out as much information from her as possible to devise a strategy against Black Ghost, since they were one step ahead of him by hiding her location.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_Tokyo, Japan_

RRRRRING! RRRRRING!

"Hello?"

"Hello, 009? It's Dr. Gilmore."

"Oh, hello, doctor. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, my boy, but I'm afraid I didn't call for pleasantries. 001 has picked up the presence of a young captive being held somewhere by Black Ghost. He wants the team to regroup to figure out what to do, since he is unable to locate where the prisoner is," Dr. Gilmore replied gravely.

"You mean Black Ghost figured out a way to block 001's psychic powers?" 009 asked in surprise. 001 was always able to detect Black Ghost's activities or presence if he wasn't recovering from use of his powers.

"Perhaps. They know your capabilities and your weaknesses, so they may have figured out a way to combat your skills. Black Ghost _has_ been quiet for some time," surmised Dr. Gilmore.

"I'll head there as soon as possible, Dr. Gilmore. Who else have you been in contact with?"

"I've just talked to Chang and Great Britain and they're coming over immediately. Why don't you call 003 and let her know what's going on? I'll see if I can arrange for 001 to contact 005 and 008.

Be careful, 009. We don't know what Black Ghost has planned for us all these years," warned Dr. Gilmore. His voice was followed by a _click_ and 009 put the phone back on hook. He let out a sigh before he went to the closet of his one bedroom apartment, grabbed his belongings and began to pack for the journey to Professor Koizumi's house.

He would have used his accelerator to get there immediately but his suitcase would not survive the intense speed, so his only option was to take the bullet train.

_Just when we thought we could put Black Ghost behind us, it comes back to haunt us,_ 009 thought to himself as he pulled out a small notebook from his luggage before zipping it closed and then walked over to the phone. He picked up the phone while flipping through the notebook and then stopped at 003's name.

The cyborg dialed the number listed under the name.

"Hello? 003? It's me, 009…"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_Black Ghost base_

Lisa Mooncrest looked at the gray walls of her round room from her metal bed while swinging her legs from side to side in opposite directions. She was still euphoric from her conversation with 001 and fought the urge to give in to the corners of her mouth, tempting her to smile and run around the room with glee.

It was the first time someone had interacted with her the same way Doc did at the hospital and that was something Lisa gravely missed. Ever since she was taken away by those two men in black, she was locked up in a metal room with a metal bed and a spring mattress just like the old room she had, but the door wasn't visible and there was no window for her or anyone to see through or flap for food to be pushed through.

From time to time, two scientists would bring her out of her prison and subject her to numerous tests, often painful ones, and each test always ended up with her being escorted back to the room with an aching head.

Until that one day, when the scientists warned her not to touch her head.

- Flashback –

"_You must not touch your head. Do you understand?"_

_"Why? What's wrong with my head?" _

"_Because you need to recover. And we can't afford to have anything happen to you after your operation."_

_"What's that? And Doc was a lot nicer than you people. He always explains big words to me," Lisa replied as she rolled her eyes upward to see her head. "And why won't you people do the same? Aren't you like Doc since you wear the same white cloth he wears?" she added._

_The scientists feigned a response, fearing they would incur Skull's wrath if they spoke with the patient. One of them snapped their fingers and two assistants escorted Lisa out of the operating room._

_-_ End flashback -

The pain lasted for a few days and then it never returned, much to Lisa's comfort. _I dunno what those mean people did but my head doesn't hurt anymore, and Doc says not feeling pain is sometimes a good thing, so I guess this is one of those times,_ she thought to herself.

A hissing sound filled the room and Lisa turned to the source, a door sliding open and Skull entered the room with two generals behind him, one on each side.

"Dr. Gamo reported brainwave activity just a few minutes ago, sir. He suspects that she was telepathically communicating with someone from outside," reported the general on the left.

"So she is capable of using telepathy in a room that suppresses psychokinetic abilities… excellent!

Tell Dr. Gamo to prepare for departure."

"Sir? Departure?" asked the general on the right.

"Yes, general. Departure," Skull repeated sternly, turning to face the general on his right. "We need to leave before the cyborgs come to rescue Ms. Mooncrest."

"Departure? What's departure? And who's coming to… uh… what's that word?" Lisa asked, joining the conversation. The three men ignored her questions.

"Make sure that the robot units are the only ones that remain here with the prisoner and that she is guarded well, understand? Now, go carry out your orders."

The two generals bowed and left the room as Skull turned to Lisa, who looked at him quizzically while tilting her head to the side. If he were human, he would be grinning from ear to ear and his eyes would be twinkling with delight while giving off an air of mystery.

"Soon, the downfall of the cyborgs will come to pass," he mumbled to himself as he swiveled his cape and left the room.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

This turned out to be a rather short chapter. I'm used to writing long chapters for my stories, but I felt that I wrote what was needed to be written without giving away too much or leaving little for the other chapters.

I'm happy to be able to finally resume working on this story and I hope to be able to finish writing it before I go back to school.

Please read and review so I can have an idea of where I need to improve or how I'm doing.

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


	3. Escape

Author's Note: This is officially chapter 2 of the story, even though the chapter navigation says that it's chapter 3.

Disclaimer (will be stated for the last time for the whole story): Cyborg 009 is the creation and property of Shotaro Ishinomori. Lisa Mooncrest and non-canon characters are mine unless otherwise stated.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_Wha… where am I? Why is everything black?_

The sound of a bell rings in the air.

_Who's there?_

"Lisa…"

_Who's calling for me?_

Cherry blossom petals start to fall from out of nowhere, swaying sideways as if a gentle breeze was blowing them. Lisa reached out to them.

_What… are these things? _

A petal landed on her outstretched arms. She took it and examined the petal, turning it around twice. Then the petal suddenly began to burn, with the rest following suit, and a wall of flame encircled Lisa. She looked around, bewildered and scared at the same time.

_What is going on?!Doc! Doc, where are you?_

Lisa spun around a few times, searching for a way to get out of the ring of fire. Then she saw it again: the same silhouette on the other side of the flame.

_Who are you? And why are you always here?_

The silhouette turned around and smiled. It was always the same person she kept seeing: a brown-haired man wearing a red uniform with four yellow buttons on the top shirt, a long yellow scarf around his neck, and black knee-high boots. Only one red eye was visible – the other was covered by his brown hair.

The young man smiled and Lisa took a step back, frightened. She wanted to ask who he was and why he was always in this dark place and on the other side of the fire, but she could not find the strength to say anything.

As if he had read her thoughts, the young man simply said, "don't you recognize me? We're cousins, remember?"

_No! Doc told me I was all alone! He wouldn't lie to me, he just wouldn't! _

"It's true. I'm your cousin. You gotta believe me."

The young man began to cross the wall of fire, but the moment his foot passed through the flame, the wall became thicker and he began to melt like wax, yet the young man didn't stop. Terrified, Lisa began to step back.

"Liiiiiiisaaaaaa…"

_No! Go away! Go away!_

The melting creature continued to make its way through the fire, this time crawling on its arms. The face no longer had a human appearance and in its place was a metallic skin with bright red eyes. Flesh-colored liquid dripped from the chin as the creature's external surface continued to melt away.

_Please… please someone… anyone… Doc… _

_HELP ME!_

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Lisa woke up, screaming the last two words in her thoughts. She immediately sat up and looked around to see if the ring of fire still existed and more importantly, if the creature was still making its way toward her. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that there was no wall of fire surrounding her and no creature was in the room.

Sweat beaded the young woman's forehead as she slowly got out of her bed, still adjusting to the fact that she had another nightmare.

_He keeps appearing in the same place and he keeps telling me the same thing. But Doc told me that I was all alone. And Doc never lied to me before he went away, _thought Lisa. _I miss Doc. I wonder when he will come back…_

The young woman was interrupted from her reminiscence by the hissing sound of a door sliding open. Egged on by curiosity, Lisa slowly walked towards the door and poked her head out. There was no one in the hallway, despite the order that there be guards by her room to keep the cyborgs away from her.

_Where is everyone? _

"Hello?"

Lisa's voice echoed throughout the empty hallway. The lack of response prompted her to step outside her room and explore the area, her mind intent on finding out where everyone had gone. She reached a T-shaped crossroad and before the young woman could pick on which hallway to proceed to, she saw a black and red cape swirl from the corner of her eye.

The young woman let out a short gasp in surprise. Partially afraid of what it could be, she decided to follow the apparition.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Welcome back, everyone."

The nine cyborgs, gathered in the living room of Professor Koizumi's vacation house, looked up at hearing Dr. Gilmore's greeting. None of them thought they would be seeing their fellow teammates so soon, but the urgency in both 001's and the doctor's voices reminded them that they were brought back together because of Black Ghost.

"Now that everyone's here, I'm going to explain the situation at hand: 001 had a telepathic connection with someone named Lisa Mooncrest. She said that she was being held by guards of Black Ghost, though she doesn't seem to be aware that she is a captive. 001 tried to pinpoint her location but he's being blocked somehow," explained Dr. Gilmore.

"How exactly did 001 have a telepathic connection with this Lisa Mooncrest?" 002 asked.

"001 was practicing with his powers one day and according to him, she was the first to communicate. Her manner of speaking was like a young child, despite the fact that she is eighteen years of age."

007 looked at him in disbelief. "Wait. Did you say that 001 was talking to an eighteen year old who talked like a young child?" he asked.

"She was confused when 001 asked her where she was being held prisoner. And she asked about someone named "Doc" and a hospital, which leads me to believe that Black Ghost may have taken someone from a psychiatric ward," replied Dr. Gilmore thoughtfully.

"So we're basically dealing with two nutjobs. Just great," remarked 002. "As if one wasn't enough, now we have to deal with two," he added.

"What if this is just a trap by Black Ghost? Did 001 at least manage to confirm that he wasn't being tricked?" 004 asked.

"Speaking of which, where is 001, Dr. Gilmore?" 003 added worriedly.

"He's resting from the telepathic communication he had with Ms. Mooncrest, and to answer your question, 004, the possibility that this is a trap set by Black Ghost is quite high. But if Black Ghost wanted to make its presence known, why use a simple but obvious way?"

"Black Ghost always did use cunning but blunt ways to let us know it still existed," noted 004.

"I'm going to the kitchen to serve up some food while we figure out what to do. We can't run on an empty stomach, you know," quipped 006 as he went straight to the kitchen.

"Nevertheless, we obviously have a decision to make: either we risk getting caught in a trap by Black Ghost or endanger the life of a civilian. If this whole thing isn't a trap, we'll have another casualty on our hands," commented 008.

"There's gotta be some way to get in contact with Ms. Mooncrest. Isn't there anything we can do?" 007 suggested.

"I'm afraid 001 is the best chance we have of communicating with her. Until then, we'll have to wait until he can provide us with more information," said Dr. Gilmore, letting out a deep sigh.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Lisa continued to follow the apparition, zigzagging her way through the corridors. She couldn't remember the way back to her room, which only prompted her to continue following the stranger.

_Where is he going? And why does he keep disappearing?_

The specter made a sharp right at a corner and Lisa followed suit, only to find another hallway, except this time it led to a beige door, a stark contrast to the silver color of the hallways. The apparition was nowhere to be found, though.

_Maybe he went through that door_, she thought, and proceeded towards the entrance slowly. As she reached out to touch it, the door slid upward, revealing a large room with a huge black pod and large windows displaying the ocean floor. There were crates strewn about, as if they had been dumped in a hurry by someone, and there were green-colored tanks neatly stacked in one corner of the room.

Lisa saw the apparition standing next to the black pod, and she realized that it was the same man who came to her room earlier: the man with the yellow eyes and skull face. She entered the room.

Skull seemed to acknowledge her presence, as he lifted his left arm to gesture at the black pod and nodded once. Lisa looked at him, puzzled.

"I don't understand."

He turned to face the ship and another door slid open. Then he turned to Lisa again, his arm still gesturing at the pod.

"You want me to… go inside the ship? Okay."

Skull watched Lisa walk towards the escape pod and enter through the doorway. The moment she was inside, the door slid shut and the cyborg vanished.

Lisa turned around after hearing the door slam shut and pounded on it with her fists. "Let me out! Let me out!" she cried, but the hatch wouldn't budge. The young woman slid against the door, feeling powerless.

_What do I do? I'm trapped here, just like before at the hospital before Doc came along… Ivan, if you can hear me, please help me…_

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Sir, it appears that the test subject has succumbed to panic. What are your orders?"

"She has a name, you fool. Be sure to use it. And activate the autopilot systems on the escape pod. It should trigger her memories and she'll figure out what to do next," ordered Skull.

"Yes, sir."

Skull watched as a subordinate typed on an elevated grid on a computer, each square lighting up under his fingertips. He turned to look at a screen in front of him, showing the inside of the escape pod. Lisa was curled up, with her back against the door and her head resting on her knees.

The ship suddenly came into life as the engine revved up and lights began to flash throughout the pod. Lisa looked around, startled by the commotion.

"The escape pod has been activated, sir."

"Good. Wait for further instructions."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_How did this happen? Did I do something?_

Lisa got up and went towards the front of the ship where the flashing lights were coming from. She looked as different colors beamed on and off and beeping sounds emanated from the control panel. _Wait a minute. This is just like the exercises the lab people made me do…_ _I wonder if I have to do the same thing I did back then,_ she thought, as a computerized female voice spoke.

"Welcome aboard, Lisa Mooncrest. Please have a seat, as we will be departing in ten seconds."

The young woman obeyed the voice and took a seat.

"Departure commencing in ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one… zero."

Lisa watched two giant doors part in front of her through the ship's window and water began to gush in. The water quickly rose, causing the escape pod to float. The ship jerked violently for a moment, followed by the revving of the engines and the pod began to move forward.

"Where are we going?"

"We are heading to a safe house in the southern side of Oahu, Hawaii. Arrival is approximately 13 hours. There is a bed on the left side of the pod if you wish to sleep for most of the travel. I will alert you when we're near our destination, Ms. Mooncrest. If you have any request, please let me know so I can serve you," replied the computerized voice.

"That would be really nice. Thank you."

But Lisa didn't feel sleepy at the time. She wanted to make contact with Ivan again just to say hello and converse with him again. Somehow, talking to him gave her a sense of comfort the same way Doc's presence did back at the psychiatric center.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Glad to see that people are checking out the story, though I do wish that people would be kind to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing.

I'm not sure if I captured 008's mannerism of speaking. I feel like I wrote him a little out of character.

I don't intend for the 00-cyborgs to have little dialect throughout the story. I'm watching episodes to see how they talk and act so I don't write them off as out of character.

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


	4. Surface

Author's Note: I forgot to say this last chapter - the bell ringing was a shoutout to one of my favorite games, Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented. It's a wicked scary but awesome game, though I don't suggest it for anyone who's prone to a heart attack.

Anyway, I would like to thank inertbiscuit for the review. I really appreciate it, since I know now how I'm doing and I'm quite glad that the cyborgs are in character, even though I haven't written a Cyborg 009 fanfiction in a very long time.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

At Professor Koizumi's house, things seemed quiet but there was an unspoken tension amongst the 00-cyborgs and the two doctors as they waited for 001 to wake up. The cyborgs tried to keep themselves busy with their hobbies to ease the tension, but it proved to be futile when 002 snarled in anger.

"Dr. Gilmore, how long do we have to wait before 001 wakes up? There's a life at stake out there!"

"I understand your frustration, 002, but there's no one else in the team capable of telepathic communication. The best thing we can do is hope that we're not too late in saving Ms. Mooncrest," replied Dr. Gilmore.

"Well, look at it this way: at least we have another member of the family to welcome," pointed out 007.

"As long as Black Ghost didn't brainwash her, then we still have a chance to get her away from them," added 004, as 001 woke up.

"Good afternoon, 001. How was your sleep?" 003 asked.

"003? When did you get here?"*

"Two days ago. The others arrived earlier when they found out what happened," 003 replied.

"All right! 001's awake now! Ask him if he can find out where Ms. Mooncrest is," said Jet excitedly.

"Give him some time, 002. He just woke up from a long sleep," said 006.

001 felt the presence of the whole team. "I'm glad that everyone came as soon as they could. And to answer everyone's question, I don't think Lisa's captivity is a ploy by Black Ghost to destroy us. She felt very real and I didn't sense any trace of cybernetic modification on her physically," he said.

"Now that we've got that settled, what are we gonna do next? We don't even have a lead as to where to start looking!" Jet grumbled.

"I think I can help with that."

The cyborgs and Dr. Gilmore turned to Professor Koizumi, who was holding a newspaper page in his hand. "When Gilmore said that there was a possibility that Ms. Mooncrest may have come from a psychiatric ward, I did some research and found out incident regarding one in Salem, Oregon, and it involves Ms. Mooncrest," he explained.

"An incident? What happened?" 009 asked.

"Five years ago, a massacre took place one evening at the Archibald Psychiatric Center and a patient went missing. The police conducted an investigation and they found that the staff had been shot to death and they are still looking for the missing patient. The case has been declared unsolved due to lack of leads, though some people believe that the patient was the killer," explained the professor.

"What does that have to do with Ms. Mooncrest?" asked 007.

"I don't know how to tell you this…

She is the missing patient."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"We're almost at the safehouse, Ms. Mooncrest. What are your orders?"

Lisa opened her eyes. "Orders? What are orders?" she asked out loud.

"Orders are commands that you issue when you want something done, Ms. Mooncrest. What would you like to do?" the computer asked again.

"I'm hungry. I want fooooooooooooooooood."

"I'm sorry. I did not understand your request."

"I'm hungry. I want fooooooooooooooooood."

The computer repeated the same sentence. Lisa sighed and got up from the bed. She walked over to the control panel and saw a small red and white one-story house by the beach ahead and a thick rainforest behind it.

"Is there food?" she asked.

"There is none on board, but food has been provided for you at the safehouse," said the computer, as the escape pod reached the shore. The door slid open and a platform slid out, pushing against the sand. The smell of seawater wafted to Lisa's nose and she crinkled it a bit.

"What's that smell?"

"It is the scent of seawater."

"Is the house open?"

"Yes. It's been prepared specifically for your arrival."

_Wow! I must be really special to have a house prepared for me! I wish Doc was here to see it_, thought Lisa as she walked slowly out of the ship. She wobbled a little, but managed to regain her balance at the end of the platform and felt the crunchiness of the sand for the first time.

"What is this? It feels so… phooey, I can't describe it… but it looks a lot like sand from the books that Doc showed me back at the hospital," she remarked. Lisa took a couple more steps before she started hopping from one foot to the other.

"HOT! IT'S SO HOT! WHY IS IT SO HOT!" she exclaimed as she hopped towards the small house while repeating herself. A white cemented fence surrounded the house and at the middle was a small iron gate, followed by a wooden platform leading to the building.

Lisa's stomach growled as she swung the iron gate open. "I must be really hungry then. I wonder what kind of food they have inside the house," she murmured as she jumped and landed heavily on the wooden platform and exhaled.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Black Ghost massacred an entire hospital staff just to get one nutjob? Lisa must be really special for them to go that far just to abduct one person," said 002.

"Could you please stop calling Lisa that? We don't even know why she ended up at the center in the first place," scolded 003.

"What happened to the psychiatric center after the massacre?" 006 asked.

"The building was shut down and abandoned after the incident and two years ago, it was demolished by the authorities to discourage trespassing. In addition, I also found out who "Doc" is. His name is Dr. Christopher Richards and he was the psychiatrist assigned to Ms. Mooncrest's case. The police found him dead in his office and according to reports, he struggled with his murderer before he was killed," explained Professor Koizumi.

"Does that name sound familiar to you, Dr. Gilmore?" asked 009. The scientists shook his head.

"I'm afraid he's someone I've never met before, but he must have been able to see through Black Ghost's disguise to struggle with the recruiting agents before he died," he replied.

"Did you manage to locate Lisa yet?" 002 asked.

"I haven't been able to establish a psychic connection with her, but I'm going to keep working on it."

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"Sir, the psi-kappa neutralizer has been activated, just as you had ordered."

"Excellent."

Skull got up from his chair and left the room. He made his way to an open-door laboratory, and in the middle was Dr. Gamo, who was sitting in front of a computer. He turned around as Skull approached him.

"Ah, Commander Skull. I hope this isn't a surprise inspection," greeted Dr. Gamo.

"On the contrary, I'm here to give your next order, Dr. Gamo. Now that Ms. Mooncrest has reached the safehouse, it's time to send the cyborgs on a wild goose chase.

Activate the brainwave recording of Ms. Mooncrest at the abandoned base."

Dr. Gamo turned around to face the computer and pressed a random set of keys and flipped switches.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Lisa stood in front of the refrigerator. "This is a refrigerator. It is used to store food. Yay! I remembered what the scientist told me!" she exclaimed, then opened the fridge. Inside were an apple, a jug of milk, and a plate of Oreo cookies.

"COOOOOOOKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHS!"

The young woman quickly grabbed the carton of milk and plate of cookies and skipped to the couch. She placed the cookies on the table and then opened the jug of milk. Eyes widening with delight, Lisa grabbed one cookie and tried to dunk it into the jug, but the cookie would not go through. She tried it again, this time using a little more force, and ended up crumbling the cookie.

"Phooey. Doc made this look really easy when we ate cookies together," she grumbled while reaching for another cookie.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

_Where are you, Lisa? Why can't I find you?_

_Where's Doc? Why isn't he here? I want foooood. Food food food food food food. You people are mean! _

"I've got contact with Lisa!"

The cyborgs quickly gathered around the infant cyborg. "What is she saying?" asked Dr. Gilmore.

"All I can hear is her thoughts… I don't think she recognizes my presence. "

_I already told you I'm okay! You people oughta listen more like Doc. And when do I get to eat? It's already past feeding time! And why don't you people bring books like Doc? _

"Hang on… I can pinpoint her location now! She's in an underwater base in the middle of the Philippine Sea. There are robot guards everywhere except one room and I'm being blocked from seeing what's inside there," added 001.

"That's weird. I figured they'd come up with a tighter security after what they did back at the psychiatric center," commented 004.

_He keeps coming back! HE KEEPS COMING BACK! MAKE HIM GO AWAY! MAKE HIM GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!_

The last notion caused 001 to cry out in everyone's thoughts and echo the overwhelming emotion he felt from the thought.

"Argh! What was that?"

"I feel like my brain just got fried."

"I think I have a migraine coming…"

"001, what's going on?"

_I'm sorry everyone, but the last thought I picked up was very strong. Lisa was very afraid to the point where I got a little overwhelmed by her thought and emotion._

"Now that we know where Ms. Mooncrest is, let's go rescue her," said 009. The other cyborgs nodded their head in agreement and they quickly left the house to board the Dolphin.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

* - I was watching episodes of the 2001 series and noticed that in addition to speaking through telepathy, 001 seemed to be capable of talking straight out, since I noticed his pacifier and cheeks moving while he was speaking. I could be wrong, though – he could have just been sucking on his pacifier while speaking in telepathy, but it isn't made clear so on some occasions, I'll have 001 speak out without the use of telepathy.

I'm not sure if 009 should have said the last line, but as the team leader, I figured he should be the one to suggest the idea. And then there is always the worry of writing the cyborgs out of character – I'm not sure I nailed Professor Koizumi (Joe called him "professor" instead of "doctor") since he was only given a couple of episode air time.

Please leave a review to let me know how I'm doing.

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


	5. Meet

Author's Note: This is officially chapter four of the story. I'm glad a lot of people are checking out the story now, though most people just seem to read the prologue and then stop there. Please read through every chapter and make sure you leave a review to let me know how I've done so far.

Disclaimers, as I've stated before, will not be restated in every chapter after Chapter 2.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The Dolphin was soaring in the air over the vast ocean. 008 and 002 were piloting the ship while 003 and 007 were monitoring the radars. 004 was monitoring the situation with Dr. Gilmore, 005 was on the weapons control, 009 was checking the ship's condition, and 006 was in the kitchen preparing another meal for the team before the rescue mission was to begin.

They left Professor Koizumi behind at the safehouse, knowing that he was safest there and should anything happen to them along the way, Professor Koizumi was protected.

"How much further are we from the base?" asked 008.

_We're close. We've just entered their range of sight,_ 001 replied, still scanning the base for Lisa's location. He tried to telepathically communicate with her again.

_Lisa, if you can hear me… please respond! It's me, Ivan! _

"Hmm… this is strange. The radar hasn't picked up anything from the base," remarked 007.

"I don't hear any movement inside, either. Do you think they were expecting us?" asked 003.

"I'll go ahead and scout for an entrance," volunteered 008 as he got up from his seat. He left the room and headed for one of the ship's hatches. The aquatic cyborg opened the door, letting water rush in as he made his way out into the ocean. He began to swim towards the base with his gun at hand, ready to fire at any enemy coming from the base.

"They should be able to detect 008 by now. Do you hear anything, 003?" asked 009. The French cyborg shook her head.

"Nothing at all, I'm afraid. The base is absolutely quiet… it's like they've been waiting for us," she replied.

"I'm getting closer to the base now. So far, there's no enemy in sight. I'm going in," radioed 008.

"Go ahead, 008. Just be careful," responded Dr. Gilmore.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"How did Doc do it?"

Lisa sighed aloud as she sank on the couch, surrounded by crumbs of cookies and spilled milk on the coffee table. "No more cookies," she mumbled. Then her stomach growled again, begging her to ingest food.

"Aww… and I don't even like apples…"

Lisa forced herself to her feet and shuffled to the fridge. She opened the door and stared at the only food left: the apple. Just as she reached out to grab it, the apple began to shake, followed by other household items, then the house itself.

"Wha… what's… going on?"

The young woman backed away from the fridge and ran outside, thinking of the pod. But the ship was gone!

"Huh?! Where did the ship go?"

A loud creaking sound from behind made Lisa turn around, and she found herself face to face with two Sea Serpents*. One of them opened their mouths and fired a rocket into the water near Lisa, causing it to jet up in the air. She ducked and screamed in terror as water rained down on her.

_No… no… no no no no no no no no no no no no no… _Lisa thought as she lifted her head to see what was going on. The Sea Serpents were approaching and another one opened its mouth, preparing to fire a missile.

_What's going on? What… what are these things? How did they make the water go up? Why are they attacking me?_

The blasting sound of a rocket filled the air and Lisa curled up into a ball again, her screams drowned by the roar of the rocket's engines as it passed by her again and hit the water, causing a much bigger hydro explosion.

_Get out! Get OUT! GET OUT! GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!_

One of the Sea Serpents suddenly stopped moving. Its neck began to compress as if an invisible force was crushing its neck. The compression became deeper as the Serpent's neck tilted to the side and it opened its mouth to fire another missile aimed at Lisa. But instead of being fired off, the missile blew up inside the Serpent's mouth, causing a huge explosion. The remaining Serpent turned its head to see what was going on.

_Go home! I want to go home! GO HOME! GO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!_

When the Serpent turned its head to face Lisa, she was gone, leaving only a deep impression of footprints that were slowly washed away by the incoming waves.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

"So Lisa has learned how to use teleportation… she's progressing quickly, Dr. Gamo," commented Skull. He and the brain surgeon watched the whole thing unfold on a holographic screen.

"She has a much higher ability than 001, sir, given the fact that she is not limited physically like he is," replied Dr. Gamo.

"You did an excellent job with her modification. I look forward to her overall performance. Until then, we will remain low until the time has come for us to finish the cyborgs once and for all.

Turn off the brainwave recording. I'm certain that by now the cyborgs have reached the base," said Skull, as he left the room and went back to the main room where he was monitoring Lisa. The door slid open before him and he entered the room.

Soldiers stood up and saluted him. "Stand down and return to your posts, men. And wait for further instructions. Until then, you are all to remain on standby," Skull ordered before sitting down on his chair.

"Yes, sir!"

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

The hangar doors opened as 008 approached. _This is so strange… I expected them to put up their defenses_, he thought as he swam inside. The hangar doors closed behind him and water began to drain from the area. 008 went down as the water level decreased, and waited until his feet touched the floor to fully observe the area: the control panel was on the left side of the hangar doors, encased in a glass-like cover, and the area was empty.

"No sign of the enemy so far," he murmured as he went to the control panel. The glass-like case had a keyhole in it, so 008 smashed the casing and tore it off the wall. Strangely enough, the control panel was relatively simple, containing only two buttons: OPEN and CLOSE. The cyborg pressed the OPEN button and the hangar slowly parted, allowing the water to rush in and quickly fill the room.

As the water level rose, the Dolphin entered and 008 closed the door the moment the ship passed through safely. The drainage system was automatically activated, causing the water level to decrease as the hatch of the ship opened and one by one, the rest of the team came up to the surface.

"I wonder if Black Ghost has gotten sloppy over the years. This has got to be by far the worst security they've come up with to protect someone they consider to be valuable," remarked 006.

"You said it, 006. I figured the place would be crawling with soldiers, at least, but we didn't even get anything while we were in their territory!" 002 added.

"But that doesn't mean we can get careless. Black Ghost has proven itself to be tricky and strikes when we least expect it," pointed out 004.

005 closed his eyes. "She is here," he said, causing the others to look at him.

"Are you sure, 005? This place looks abandoned, if you ask me," 007 mumbled.

"She is here," repeated 005 as he opened his eyes, his voice filled with more determination.

"Everyone, look out! There are guards approaching from the east!" 003 warned. Just then, a door slid open and robot soldiers poured into the room. 005 positioned himself before 003 and Dr. Gilmore to shield them from bullets.

002 jetted to the air while the other men took various positions, with 002 having his pistol drawn out and set to needle mode. The robots fired and the cyborgs returned the favor, blowing up one robot after the other with bullets, needles, hot fire, and a little creativity from 007, who disguised himself as a kangaroo and punched every robot in his way, while the ammunition from the robots' guns bounced off their armor. But the robots kept coming into the room as if there was no limit to them.

"They just keep coming in! What do we do?" yelled 002.

_004, fire a rocket at the eastern door to block the reinforcements. We'll find another way to reach Lisa,_ instructed 001. The German cyborg obeyed and knelt on one knee, aiming for the eastern door. He fired two rockets, crippling the flow of robot soldiers and permanently blocking the pathway.

"Where do we go now, 005?" asked 009.

"This way."

The giant followed his instincts and headed for the western side of the hangar. A door slid open and the rest of the team followed the giant. They ran through hallway after hallway and turned left, then right, then left again, until 005 stopped in front of them.

"What's wrong?"

They watched as 005 grabbed two robot soldiers in front of them and smashed them together like dolls. He then closed his eyes again, listening to his instincts. He could sense her presence, much stronger than it was back at the hangar.

"This way."

005 made a sharp left, then a right, finally stopping before a grey door. He placed a hand on the door, and felt the tugging presence coming from beyond the metal barrier.

"Is this where she is, 005?" asked 004. The giant cyborg nodded his head as he tried to pull the door open, but he could not find an opening to tug on.

Inside the room, Lisa was curled up on the couch. She lifted her head up. "How did I… end up back here?' she wondered.

"Stand back, 005. I'll try to melt the door," said 006, his voice muffled by the door from the other side. The whole team stood back as the robust man let out a jet stream of flame at the door. It began to turn red, and then slowly, it began to melt.

"It's working , 006! Keep it up!" called out Dr. Gilmore. 006 continued to burn the door until a wide hole was made. The cyborgs looked through and saw a bed that had been turned to the side, with the pillow and the bed sheet lying carelessly on the floor.

009 entered the room first to make sure that it was safe for everyone else to go inside. Unbeknownst to him, Lisa was peering from behind the room, watching him enter. At first, she did not see his face, but when the light shone on him, she saw his ruby eye and immediately the nightmare flashed in her mind.

Lisa let out a bloodcurdling scream.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

There goes Chapter 4. Hope you enjoyed it.

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


	6. Interaction

Author's Note: If you're going to stop by and read this story, please review. Don't just go to the prologue and end there because it was written in first person. There's a good reason why I posted that first.

* * *

The rest of the team rushed in when they heard the bloodcurdling scream, thinking that something had happened to 009. But all they found was a puzzled cyborg and an auburn-haired woman clad in a hospital gown, desperately trying to back away despite the fact that her back was against the wall.

"What happened?" Dr. Gilmore yelled over the scream.

"I just entered the room and the next thing I knew, I hear a terrified scream and then she came from behind the bed!" 009 replied, pointing to Lisa.

"I'm guessing that's Ms. Mooncrest. Why is she screaming so loud?" Jet shouted.

"We need to get her to stop screaming first; otherwise her vocal folds will be severely inflamed!" Dr. Gilmore replied.

_Lisa? It's me, Ivan. Can you hear me?_ 001 reached out telepathically. But all he could hear were scattered thoughts of _GO AWAY!_

_I can't reach out to her. Her thoughts are like a broken record: she's screaming too much_, he said telepathically.

003 handed 001 over to Dr. Gilmore and slowly approached Lisa. She took a few steps, only to be blocked by an invisible force. "I can't get closer to her," she informed.

"Something must have caused her to panic, that's for sure! Did you see anything suspicious before you walked into the room, 009?" 007 asked. The Japanese cyborg shook his head.

"All I did was walk through the molten door and look inside," he explained.

"Apparently, it triggered something in Lisa's mind to cause her to scream in terror," surmised 004.

"Maybe it was the door melting that did it. I should have been more careful… what if she was at the door when I was burning a hole through?!" 006 wondered, worried and afraid that he was the cause of the terrified screams.

"She's afraid…" 005 murmured.

"Tell us something we don't already know, 005! And can we figure this out soon? I don't know how much longer I can put up with her screaming like that!" snapped 002.

"No… she's afraid of you, 009."

"But why would she be afraid of me? I haven't even met her!" 009 argued.

"Give me a moment to try and reach out to her."

"If it'll get her to stop screaming, that's fine with me!"

The rest of the team except 005 left the room, but it did not stop the fits of ear-piercing yells. 005 walked up to Lisa and he felt the invisible force as well. He placed a hand against it and closed his eyes, trying spiritually to reach out to the screaming woman.

_Why are you afraid? What is causing you to scream in fear?_

_He's here! The man with the pretty red eye! HE'S COMING TO GET ME!_

005 felt his hand move forward a little and nearly lost his balance. He repositioned himself, and found that he could take one step closer towards Lisa.

_The man with the red eye is a friend. There is no need to be afraid of him._

_HE'S COMING TO GET ME! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! HE CAN WALK THROUGH THE FIRE!_

The Native American cyborg felt the shift on his hand again and this time, he did not lose his balance, but he took one step further.

_Do you know him? He tells me he's never seen you before._

_He says I am his cousin. He knows my name! Doc was the only one who knew my name! _

With each exchange, 005 found the invisible force shifting back, so he continued reaching out to Lisa.

_Cousin?_ _009 never mentioned any relatives to us.*_

_He comes to me every night in my dreams, calling my name and saying we are cousins. He's here! And he walked through the fire just like he did before! _

005 was a few feet away from Lisa now, and her squirming had slowed down. She was no longer looking up, and now her focus was on the giant cyborg.

_There's no need to be afraid. I'm the only one here right now._

_He's outside. I can sense him… wait. There are other people out there… dressed like you. _

The Native American felt the invisible force against his hand vanish and the screaming ceased to exist. He found Lisa staring at him, wide-eyed with her mouth open in awe. He knelt down on both knees and extended a hand out to her.

"You're… tall. How'd you get so tall? Did you come from trees? How come you have those lines on your face? And why is your hair like that?"

005 jerked back a little, surprised by Lisa's manner of speech. Her questions came out like a long sentence rather than separately. "My name is 005," he replied.

"005… that's a weird name. How come your name is like that? Can I get a name like that too? And you called the man with the pretty red eye 009… are you brothers? Doesn't that make us cousins too?" Lisa asked as she reached out to the offered hand and placed her own.

The cyborg didn't know which question to answer first. "It's all right. She's calmed down," he called out to the other cyborgs, knowing that explanations were best handled as a team.

The remaining 00-cyborgs and Dr. Gilmore went back inside, with 009 the last to go inside in case he might trigger another panic attack. The cyborgs formed a semi-circle around Lisa and 005, with 009 staying back a little.

Dr. Gilmore was the first to step forward. "You must be Lisa Mooncrest. I'm Dr. Gilmore," he said, extending out a hand, which Lisa shook with her remaining free hand while tilting her head to the side.

"Dr. Gilmore… are you like Doc, since your name also begins with "doc"? Better yet, do you know Doc? I wanna know when I can see him! And how do you know my name?" she replied. The scientist was silent for a moment. He knew it wasn't a good time for him to tell the truth after she recovered from a panic attack.

"I'm afraid I'm a different kind of doctor. You see, I'm a scientist," he explained.

"Si-yan… hmph. You used a big word like Doc does, so you must know each other. Besides, Doc was the only one who called me by my full name and that was when we first met," Lisa sulked.

"I can assure you, my dear, that Doc and I don't know each other. And 001 here told me all about you," replied Dr. Gilmore as he presented the baby.

"He looks a lot different from the pictures. And how does he know all about me?"

_It's me, Ivan. Though I'm more known as 001_. _Nice to finally meet you, Lisa._

Lisa's eyes grew as big as plates. "YOU'RE IVAN???? But… but… but… how can he talk? ?" she remarked, earning weird looks from the others.

"For a nutjob, you sure talk funny," snorted 002. Lisa turned to look at him and stared. And stared. And stared.

"Why is she loo—"

"PINOCCHIO!"

Snickers, then laughter filled the empty room, followed by 002's angry response. "What did she just call me?!" he snarled.

"You gotta admit, 002. You do look like Pinocchio with your nose," jeered 004.

005 and 008 exchanged puzzled looks. "What is everyone laughing about?" 008 asked.

"Lisa just called 002 Pinocchio! Don't tell me you've never heard of the story of Pinocchio! He was a puppet who wanted to become a real boy but whenever he lies, his nose gets bigger," 007 clarified.

Dr. Gilmore chuckled. "As much as it is amusing, we need to get Ms. Mooncrest out of here and back to the house before Black Ghost finds out we've reached her," he said in a serious tone. The laughter stopped and everyone turned to the scientist.

"Here," said 005 as he stood on his feet and pulled Lisa's arm to assist her. But he was so much taller than her that he ended up lifting her off the ground, and she was able to see 009 behind the other cyborgs. She cringed and started to whimper, and 005 sensed the sudden change.

"It's all right. 009 won't hurt you," he assured in a soothing voice, which did little to ease the whimpers, as he gently set the young woman down on the ground.

"All right. Everyone get back into position," ordered Dr. Gilmore, as the team repositioned themselves around 005 and Lisa. 009 was on her right and she immediately clung to the tall cyborg next to her.

"005, why is Lisa afraid of me?"

"According to her, you show up in her nightmares every night, calling out to her and telling her that you two are cousins."

"But that's impossible! I grew up in an orphanage!" 009 quickly replied, and turned to look at Lisa, who moved back a little, her ocean blue eyes filled with fear while focused on him.

_There's just no way Lisa and I can be related… it just can't be… Father would have told me if I had a living relative…_ _there's no way he would keep something like that from me…_

* * *

* - I don't know if 009 ever mentioned his past to the others, since I haven't watched all the available English dubbed episodes (I usually write the chapters at around midnight because that's when I can devote my focus to it).

The conversation that took place between 005 and Lisa isn't a telepathic communication like the way 001's. It's more like an empathic connection between them, but I put it in italics because in a way, it's still a psychic connection between them.

You probably noticed that not everyone got something to say. Well, I was thinking of letting everyone speak at least one line but it would seem OOC, which I try to avoid as much as possible (though I may end up doing it without knowing, hence why I ask for reviews!), so if I had a choice, I'd opt for keeping the cyborgs in character, even if it means they don't get to speak.

005 and 008 were the only ones I left out with the Pinocchio joke because I figured they wouldn't be familiar with the story – 008 lived in a war-torn country and I doubt he would have the time for fairy tales and 005 is deeply devoted to his Native American roots. I considered including 006 but he's proven to be quite a knowledgeable man in other things besides cooking, so I figured he may have come across the story or at least heard of it.

Please review and let me know how I'm doing!

the-pen-and-papers-workshop


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